Windshield heater



June 25, 1935. M. ZAEGER WINDSHIELD HEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 18, 1954 .Eum 25, 1935. M. ZAIGER WINDSHIELD HEATER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 18, 1934 Fig. 33

6 invenTo MG x ZG ger AT/s QM W June 25 1935. M. ZAIGER WINDSHIELD HEATER I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed De o. 18, 1934 more fully hereinafter set forth.

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Patented June 25, 1935 I HEISSUD UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE Operating to reflect heat radiated from said heating elements toward the center of the irame. In another form of the invention the air in the chamber between the glass pane and the wind- 7 Clams.

This invention relates to windshield heaters of the so-called "glss pane" type and the object of the invention is to provide improvements in windshield heaters of this type which will be In order to give an Understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings some selected embodiments thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be from the heater used in heating the automobile, or from the mumer, exhaust pipe or other source of heat.,

The metal frame of the construction shown in pointed out in the appended claims. Figs. 1 toi 10 is indicated generally at l and it 10 In the drawings: is an angular cross-sectional shape. This :rame Fig. 1 is a view of my improved windshield is iormed with ears or extensions 2, each of which heater applied to the windshield of an automosupports a suction cup device 3, said suction cups bile. 4 constituting the means for holding the frame in Fig. 2 is an enlarged View with a portion broken position against'the windshield as is usual in deout showing the side of the heater which contacts vces of this type.

with the glass of the windshield. Situated within the frame is a glass-holding Fig. 3 is a section, w th parts"broken out, on member 4 of rubber which pp a p Of the line 3-3 Fig. 2. glass 9. This member is made in the form of a Fig. 4 is a View, showing the individual parts long strip of rubber which is molded or extruded from which the :rame is made. to the cross-sectional shape shown, it having the Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view-showing the on outer flat face &to rest against the side wall of end piece and d r il emb d, the frame, the flat face 6 to rest against the flange Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 Fig. 5. 1 of the frame, and the glass-receiving groove 8 Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1 Fig. 2. to receive the edge of the pane of .glass 9, and Fig. 8 is a sectional fragmentary view showing also having the flexible lip III adapted to enthe strip from which the glass-supporting mems s the glass L the wndsheld- This' Strip ber is iormed. is cut to the right length and then is placed Fig. 9 is a sectional iragmentary View showing around e pa of s as 9 With the edges 0! e the manner in which the ends of the strip are lass occupy the ve 8, a d the two ends connected together; of the strip ot rubber may be fastened together Fig. 10 is a tragmentary view showing a differin e suitable y as y means Of the Staple entwembodiment of the invention. fastening !2. The pa Of 81885 iS shown a Fig. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view showo med th round d orn s d as th l s ing a different embodiment of the invention. old n me 4 is in the form of a strip. said Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view on the strip may be readly bent around the rounded line I2-l2 Fig. 11. corners of the glass and will conform to the con- Fig. 13 is asectional view on the line |3. |3 tour of said rounded corners as shown best in Fig. 12. Figs. 2 and 10. The glass with the rubber strip Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view showencirclns it is then set into the frame and.

when in place, the rubber strip is retaned between the glass 9 and the frame I, the glass thus acting as means to hold the rubber strip in position. The flexible edge III of the rubber strip projects beyond the frame sumciently so that it engages the windshield glass l I.

I: indicates heating coiis which extend from one end to the other of the !rame and are preferably located along the sides M thereot. These heating coiis are connected at one end to a bar :0 !5 and at the other end to a similar bar IS, said bars being Situated inside the glass-holding meming the way in which a plurality oi windshield heaters may be packed for shipment.

One form of my improved windshield heater comprises a metal hame-carrying suction means for attaching it to the windshield, a glass-supporting member oi rubber fittng within the irame and provided on its inner face with a glass-receiving groove, a pane of glass having its edges received' in said groove and Operating to hold the rubber glass-holding member in position in the trame, said glass-holding member having a flexible lip to engage the windshield glass and make a tight joint therewith, electrical ber l. These bars IE and IS are secured to ends heating means within the !rame situated adja- .oi the !rame by any suitable means such as bolts cent the sides thereo and reflector elements ll and one ot the bars, the bar li, is insulated shield is heated by warm air delivered either 5 I I from the frame l as shown at 40. The !rame carries two terminals I8 and s, the terminal !8 being insulated from the frame as shown at 23 and the terminal s being rigld with the frame. The current is supplied to the heating elements through a suitable cable 2I which is provided with asocket terminal 22 adapted to be removably applied to the terminals l8, !8. When the connections are made the circuit extends from the terminal l s to the bar IS, thence through the coils |3 to the bar IS, thence to the frame I and the return circu it through the terminal !3.

The bars' |5 and I 6 are shown as extending clear across the ends of the frame and as having curved ends 23 to which the coils I 3 are connected in some suitable way. One convenient way is to strike-up a finger 24 from each end of each bar to which fingers the coils |3 are attached.

It will be noted that the heating coils are situated adjacent the sides of the frame and thus are not visible through the glass pane. This is an advantage because it gives the driver of the automobile clear vision at all times. In order to increase the efliciency of the heating coils in heating the center portion of the dead air space within the frame, I propose to"employ reflectors 25 'which extend along the sides of the frame and are located between the coils |3 and therubber glass-supporting member 4. These reflectors serve to refiecttoward the center of the frame the heat which radiates outwardly from the heating coils toward the walls of the frame and which, therefore, would normally be' inefiective in heating the air within the frame. i

These refiectors may be retained in position in any suitable way, preferably, however, by being secured to the glass-supporting member 4 by means of suitable rivets or other fastening devices 21. In the construction shown in Fig. 2 each reflector 25 has an .extension 26 at its end which underlies the curved end 23 of one of the bars !5, |6 and the rivets or fastening devices 2'5 are secured to said extensions. Where this construction is employed it is desirable to use insulation 44 between the curved ends 23 of the bars IS, |6 and the extensions 26 of the reflectors.

In Fig 10 a Construction is shown in which there is no overlapping of the curved ends 23 of the bars IS, IG and any portion of the reflectors, the reflectors having such longitudinal dimensions that the ends thereof are spaced !rom the ends of the bars !5, l 8. In this construction the rivets or other fastenings 21 are lcated at the longitudinal side walls of the frame.

The metal frame l is preferably made of a purality of separate sections which are weided, riveted or otherwise secured together to make a .rigid structure. In the construction herein shown the !rame I is formed with the two end sections 28, 29 and\ with two side rails l4. Each end section 28, 29 is provided with the two arms 30 to which the side rails |4 are secured. The two end sections 28, 29 are duplicates in shape and may Conveniently be pressed into shape rrom sheet metal by means of suitable dies. The side wall of each arm 30 is ofiset slightly' asshown at 85.

The ribs 32 function positioning shoulders to correctly position the side rafls with respect to I the arms 30 when the parts arerassembled.

After the separate parts comprising the frame have been spot welded or otherwise secured together as shown at 33 the frame becomes a rigid, unitary structure. The advantage' of making the !rame this way is that it can be made with a relatively small amount ot waste material for the end sections 28, 29 can be easily formed from sheet metal with a relatively small waste and the side rails I4 can be made from strips without anv waste.

In the Figs. 11to 13 there is shown an embodiment of the invention in which the heat required to keep the windshield free from snow and ice is furnished from the heater with which the automobile is equipped. In Fig. 11 the frame. I has the same general constr uction as that shown in Figs. 1 to 10, and it has associated therewith the' rubber glass-holding member 4 which carries the pane of glass 9. This metal frame l is secured to the windshield l I by suitable suction cups 3.

In this embodiment of the invention, however, the air within the chamber, between the glass rame i and the windshield 2 is heated by air from the automobile heater instead of through means of electric coils. The frame I is shown as having a nipple 40 secured thereto which receives one end of a flexible pipe 4| that extends to a; hood 42 that is adapted to be stretched over the heater 43 by which the automobile is heated; When the heater is operated the fan which causes circulation of air over the heating coils forces some of the hot air through the pipe 4l into the space 44 between the glass pane 9 and the windshield ll, thereby heating this space and preventing the windshield from becoming frosted or coated with ice. The frame l is shown as having an outlet opening 45 which is adapted tobe 'opened or closed through the medium of a sliding damper 46. When the device is Operating, the damper may be moved to open the discharge opening 45, thereby providing a circulation of heated air through the chamber 44. This damper is in the form of a slide which is retained in place by two guiding studs 41 carried by the frame I and extending through a slot 48 in the damper. If the automobile is not equipped with a heater then the heat for heating the chamber 44 may be taken from some other source such, for instance, as the muiiier or the exhaust pipe.

The suction cup devices 3 which I prefer to employ are constructed so that they not only perform the function of securing the heater to the windshield, but 'they' also provide suitable cushion means between individual windshield heaters when they are packed for shipment, thereby eliminating danger of breakage of the glass. Upon reterring to Fig. 14 it will be seen that each suction cup device has a stem portion 90 formed integral therewith and which extends through the ears or arms 2 of the frame, each stem'being provided with a groove si to receive the metal ot the arms. When the heaters are packed for shipment, the suction cup devices of one heater engage those of adjacent heaters and since the suction cup devices and their stems are made of rubber, such suction cup devices form resiJient or yielding spacing members for spacing the frames from each other, thereby eiiminating danger of breakage of the glass. I v

I claim: v

1. A windshield heater comprising a frame, a glass-holding member of rubber fitting within the rame and provided with a flexible lip to engage the windshield, and having a glass-receiving groove, a pane of glass carried by said member and having its edges received in said groove, suction means to attach said frame to a windshield, a heating resistor extending along the side of the frame and a refiector between the glass-holding member and the resistor and arranged to refiect the heat of the coil toward the windshield.

2. A windshield heater comprising a rame, a pane of glass, a glass holding member in the form of a strip of rubber encircling the glass, said glass-holding member fitting within the frame and provided with a glass-receiving groove in which the edge of the pane of glass is received and also provided with a fiexible lip to engage the windshield, means to attach said frame to a windshield, a heating resistor extending along each side of the frame and a reflector associated with each resistor to refiect the heat radiated therefrom toward the center of the frame.

3. A windshield heater comprising a frame, a

A pane of glass, a glass-holding member in the form of a strip of rubber encircling the glass and having its ends secured together, said-glass-holding member fitting within the frame and provided with a glass-receiving groove in which the edge of the pane of glass is received and also provided with a fiexible lip to engage the windshield, means to attach said frame to a windshield, a heating coil extending along each side of the frame, a

reflector associated with each coil to refiect the heat radiated therefrom toward the center of the frame, and means to secure said refiectors to the glass-holding member.

4. A windshield heater comprising a frame having two one-piece U-shaped end sections, each having an offset portion at the extremity of each arm, and also having side rails connecting the end sections, each side rail being deformed adjacent each end to present a positioning rib against which the ends of the arms of the end sections engage, the extremities of the side rails occupying the ofiset portions of said arms and being rigidly Secured thereto, a glass-holding member of rubber Situated within the frame and having a glass-receiving groove, a pane of glass supported by said glass-holding member, and having its edges received in said groove, one edge of said glass-holding member extending beyond the frame and being shaped to constitute a flexible lip to engage the windshield, and an electric heating resistor within the frame extending from one end to the other thereof.

5. A windshield heater comprising a frame L- shaped in cross section, a glass-holding member of rubber fitting within the frame and provided with a fiexible lip projecting beyond the frame and adapted to engage the windshield and also provided with a glass-receiving groove, a pane of glass carried by said member and having its edges received in said groove, said glass clamping the glass-holding member against the frame and retaining it therein, spaced terminals on said frame and electric heating resistors connecting said terminals.

6. A windshield heater comprising a frame having two one-piece U-shaped end sections, each having an oiset portion at the extremity of each arm, and also having side rails connecting the end sections, each side rail being deformed adjacent each end to present a positioning rib against which the ends of the arms of the end sections engage, the extremities of the side rails occupying the ofiset portions of said arms and being rigidly-secured thereto, a glass-holding member of rubber Situated within the frame and having a fiexible lip to engage the windshield and also having a glass-receiving groove, a pane of glass supported by said glass-holding member and having its edges received in said groove, and means for heating the air in the chamber between the glass pane and the windshield.

7. A windshield heater comprising a frame, a glass-holding member of rubber fitting within the frame and provided with a fiexible lip to engage the windshield and also provided with a glassreceiving groove, a pane of glass carried by said member and having its edges received in said groove, said frame having extensions, suction cup devices carried by the extension for attaching the frame to a windshield, each suction cup de vice having a stem of rubber integral therewith which extends through the corresponding ear or extensions, said stems providing resilient spacing members for spacing the frames from each other when they are packed for shipment.

MAX ZAIGER.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,006, 095. June 25. 1935.

MAX ZAIGER.

lt is hereby certifed that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3, first column, lines 30 and 31, claim 3, or "coil" read resistor; and second column, line 42, claim 7, for "extension" read extensions; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and .sealecl this 6th day of August, A. D. 1935.

Lesl ie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,006, 095. June 25. 1935.

MAX ZAIGER.

lt is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3, first column, lines 30 and 31, claim 3, for "coii" read resistor; and second column, line 42, claim 7, for "extension" read extensions; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record ,of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and .sealed this 6th day of August, A. D. 1935.

Leslie Frazer (Seul) i Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

